The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has responded to allegations by the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) that the Commission removed the party’s validly nominated candidates for State House of Assembly constituencies in Anambra and Benue States and replaced them with unauthorised names.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, INEC described the allegations as unfounded, insisting that it has neither the legal authority nor the operational capacity to select, insert, or substitute candidates for any political party.
“Candidate nomination is, by law, the exclusive responsibility of political parties,” the Commission stated. “INEC has no legal authority to select, insert, or substitute a candidate for any party. Monitoring a party’s primary is a statutory oversight function only and confers no power on INEC to choose or impose a candidate.”
The Commission further clarified the nomination process ahead of the 2027 general elections, explaining that all 22 registered political parties designated two technically trained officers to handle their nomination processes, following training organised by INEC.
According to the Commission, portal access codes were issued directly and in person to each party’s National Chairman—and not by proxy. Thereafter, candidate lists were generated solely from submissions made by the parties, with each submission jointly signed by the National Chairman and National Secretary in the mandatory Form EC9 series (A–G).
“Any claim that the Commission independently uploaded or altered candidate information is unfounded and untrue,” INEC stated.
As part of its response, the Commission noted that it holds in its possession Form EC9E, where the contested candidates were listed and submitted to INEC, duly signed by the NDC’s National Chairman and National Secretary. This, INEC explained, places the responsibility for any inaccuracies or grievances squarely on the party.
The statement, signed by Mohammed Kudu Haruna, Chairman of INEC’s Information and Voter Education Committee (IVEC), reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to transparency, accountability, and providing a level playing field for all stakeholders in the electoral process.
“The Commission remains committed to transparency, accountability and providing a level playing field for all stakeholders in the electoral process,” the statement read.
The NDC is yet to officially respond to INEC’s rebuttal. The development comes as political activities begin to heat up ahead of the 2027 election cycle.
INEC has urged political parties to take full responsibility for their internal nomination processes and to ensure that all submissions are accurate before forwarding them to the Commission.
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